This BLOG is about the Past of Hindi Films Specially Black and White Cinema We will refresh your memories by bringing out forgotten or unseen songs and clippings of film scenes We will try to give you as much information as we gather from our research.
This Blog was started as a one-man’s passion for film history but has now become an addiction for many music lovers who are equally passionate about Hindi films
Madan Mohan worked with all the legendary male playback singers of the time, including Talat Mahmood, Mukesh, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, and Hemant Kumar, the maximum songs were sung by the great Mohd. Rafi Saab. Between solos and duets, Rafi Saab sang almost 170 songs for Madanji.
Madan Mohan scored his first big break with the film Aankhen in 1950, which marked the beginning of a long-lasting collaboration with Mohammed Rafi. The song was 'Hum Ishq Mein Barbad' was a serious song. Next few years were the testing time for Madan Mohan, he gave more songs to Talat mehmood and one or two songs to Rafi. The song 'Basti Basti Parbat Parbat' from Railway Platform (1955) was the first hit song of this combination.The next memorable song was'Tujhe Kya Sunaun Mein Dilruba' from Aakhri Dao (1958). In the 1960s they gave many memorable songs. Here are a few of the great songs of this combination.
This song from Mausam(1976) was written by Gulzar, composed by Madan Mohan, and sung by Bhupinder. The song has two versions, one a solo by Bhupinder and a duet of Lata Mangeshkar with Bhupinder. The solo was used during the titles of the film and the duet was picturized on the young Sanjeev Kumar and Sharmila Tagore.
The solo version happens to be Gulzar's favorite, is by far the soberer and serene. The duet has a faster tempo. Both versions have three stanzas with different interludes. The Mukhada was taken from a Ghalib ghazal with a slight change. In the ghazal, it is 'Jee Dhoondta Hai', Madan Mohan changed it to Dil Dhoondta Hai., since it worked better for the metre.
This wasn’t the only time Gulzar was inspired by Ghalib. He went a step further in the song Satrangi Re, (Dil Se, 1998), in which he wove Ghalib’s couplet into his lyrics, crediting the source by its name.
This song is the pivot around which the film revolves. It connects the characters in time. the first time when the Doctor(Sanjeev Kumar) is traveling from Calcutta to Darjiling by road where he met Chanda decades ago.
Gulzar in a book told that while composing the interludes of the song Madan Mohan was strolling between his music room and his kitchen. He(Gulzar) had gone to his house for dinner. Madan Mohan was a good cook, he was cooking mutton at that time. During that duration, he composed the tune of this song.
Gulzar was one of the contenders for the National Award for that year. Unfortunately, no award was given to any lyricist that yeat. Similarly, he was nominated for Filmfare's Best lyricist award but lost out to lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi for Kabhie Kabhie.
Madan Mohan had a habit of making 5-6 tunes of one song, he then selects the best out of them. For this song too he made 6 tunes one of which was later used in Veer Zara (2004). Here a clipping is given below, you could see his versatility
Dil Dhoondhta Hai - Madan Mohan sings many tunes for one song
Madan Mohan is the only composer whose compositions were used after two decades of his death. It was in the 2004 film Veer Zara his compositions were used. Once an assistant to S D Burman, he made few tunes for him but those were not used. S. D. Burman used a tune very late in 1956. This was the song 'Mera Sundar Sapna Beet Gaya'(Do Bhai)originally composed by Madan Mohan. It is also believed that the song 'Jeevan Ke Safar Mein Rahi' (Munimji) was a Madan Mohan composition as he was an assistant for Munimji. He was so creative that he composed different tunes for antras in the same song very often. Recall the song 'Tum jo mil gaye ho' and 'Betaab dil ki tamanna' (Hanste Zakhm) or Ek haseem shaam ko'l'(Dulhan Ek Raat Ki) and almost all songs from Heer Ranjha... 'Do Dil Toote', 'Tere kolache Mein','Milo na tum to' and 'Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil'.
In the film "Chandan", the song "Ye Khule Khule Se Gesoo, Ye Udee Udee Si Rangat...Log Kahe Mere Nain Baaware", has all the three stanzas composed in different tunes. There are three heroines in this film viz. Nutan, Shyama, and Mala Sinha. Possibly, each stanza is picturized on a different actress.
Madan Mohan & Lata Mangeshkar
Madan Mohan & Rafi
The first film of Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan had a habit of making many tunes well in advance, one of such tune of the hit song, Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil was composed by Madanji in the 50s, but found a place in a film only when it was recorded for Chetan Anand's HEER RANJHA (released in 1970). another tune of "Naina Barse" was made in 1952.It was used in Woh Kaun Thi Madan Mohan was also a good singer. He had a fascination for K L Saigal. He gave playback for a few films in his films. Aankhen 1950 was his first film as an independent composer, he sang a duet with Shamshad Begum " Humse Na Dil Ko Lagana".
There is an official site of Madan Mohan Ji https://www.madanmohan.in/ in this site 2 categories of unreleased songs are mentioned. We can visit this site and listen to these rare songs.
This iconic song from the 1964 film "Woh Kaun Thi" was almost not recorded. Madan Mohan had composed the song with great care for a haunting romantic situation in the film but the Director of the film Raj Khosla didn't like the tune, so he rejected it. Madan Mohan, who was very sure that this song could be one of his immortal songs approached Manoj Kumar, the hero of the film to request Raj Khosla to listen to the tune once again. Manoj Kumar Kumar, who appreciated the tune too felt that this could be a memorable song. When the second time this tune was played, Raj Khosla got bowled over by the composition. He immediately approved it. He wondered, how could he reject this song. This song was written by RajaMehdi Ali Khan sung by Lata Mangeshkar was recorded in 1963. When the film released, this song was not as popular as today. You would be surprised to note that this song was not among the top 32 songs of the 1964 Binaca Geet Mala final. Two other songs(Naina Barse and. Jo Hamne Daastan )of this film were on that list, not this one. There are many songs who are liked and become popular with the passing of time. This song is one such exceptional and inimitable. This song remains one of the favorite songs of Lata Mangeshkar. The song has not only stood the test of time but has time and again been used by Bollywood and other to accentuate an emotional note in several films, in 1966 the tune of this song was kept in a Tamil film Yaar Nee, a remake of Woh Kaun This, this song was picturized on Jatyalalitha sung by Sushila.In the same year the Telugu movie Aame Evaru, it is rendered as "Andala ee reyi". Even contemporary ones like Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil to the new Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3.this song is used, sung by different singers, the tune remains the same. There are many versions of this song now available on Youtube. Very recently a video of this song sung by e years old toddler went Viral over social media,I present all the versions here including the original.
Song of Woh Kaun Thi 1964
Lag Ja Gale | Tamil Version
Lag Ja Gale by 2 years child
Lag Ja Gale (Acoustic) Sanam
Lag Jaa Gale from Sahib Bibi Aur Gangster 3
Lag Jaa Gale from Ai Dil Hai Mushkil
Lag Jaa Gale by Various Artists (Who Sang It Better?)
The man, who was acknowledged as a genius by people who understood and appreciated music, was never at the top rung in the hit parades or with the big banners or the big stars.He had very few Hit Films but His Music was always Hit. He had no set method of conjuring a tune. New tunes floated into his head at the most unexpected moments - while going up a lift, driving his car, or sometimes while leaning over the balcony of his Pedder Road flat to watch the traffic below. The famous "Madan Mohan style" was established in the true sense with Adalat (1958) when he composed some outstainding melodies - Jaanaa Tha Hamse Door, Yoon Hasaraton Ke Daagh, Unko Ye shikaayat Hai, Jaa Ja Re Jaa Saajanaa, Zameen Se Hamein Aasmaan Par... so many great melodies in one movie. This was the movie which made Madan Mohan the uncrowned king of ghazals. After this, he composed many ghazals and with each composition, he attained great heights of popularity and fame. A situation came when every producer wanted him to compose at least one ghazal for his film. In Madan Mohan's initial period, the trend of film making was for heroine-oriented subjects which gave him ample scope to improvise upon his talent. Some even called him a "ladies composer". Moreover, he had composed comparatively more catchy tunes for female singers than male. After 1960, hero-oriented films became the trend. But during this period also fortunately the subjects which came by Madan Mohan's way had more scope for female songs than male songs. The year, 1964 witnessed eight releases in a row having Madan Mohan's compositions, including Aap Ki Parchhaiyan (a love story), Ghazal (a musical), Haqeeqat (war film), Jahanara (costume drama), Pooja Ke Phool (family drama), Suhagan (social theme) and Woh Kaun Thi?(mystery). Madan Mohan handled each subject gracefully and came out with many all-time hits for these films. The following years saw the release of Rishte Nate (1965), Dulhan Ek Raat Ki (1966), Mera Saaya (1966) and Naunihal (1967) full of typical Madan Mohan melodies. In the year 1970, Madan Mohan's film Dastak was released. It was like a musical art movie giving full scope to the composer to showcase his talent. The songs Baiyaan Naa Dharo, Mai Ri Main Kaase Kahoon and Ham Hain Mataay-e-Kuchao fetched him the National Award for best music direction for that year. Dastak was followed by Heer Ranjha, a totally unique experiment nobody dared the way Chetan Anand handled it. Lyricist Kaifi Azmi wrote the dialogues and lyrics of the film. he composed romantic songs like Milo Na Tum To Hum Ghabaraye and Meri Duniyaa Mein Tum Aayiand on the other hand, soulful songs like Do Dil Toote, Doli Chadhale Hee (traditional Heer moulded in his own style) and Yeh Duniyaa Yeh Mehfil. The song Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil from the film is a unique composition of the maestro. During his last days, he was offered Mausam (1975) and Laila Majnu (1976).Laila Majnuwas a traditional love story for which Madan Mohan composed a very beautiful number Husn Haazir Hai Mohabbat Kee Sazaaa Paane Kosung by Lata Mangeshkar. Mausam was a very soft romantic subject and was handled with equal softness by Gulzar. Madan Mohan understood the mood of the film composed songs like Dil Dhondtaa Hai (in happy and sad version) and Ruke Ruke Se Qadam, which really helped the film to convey its theme effectively. The King of Melodies, who was at the peak of his popularity, died at the age of 51. He died on 14th July 1975
The man, who was acknowledged as a genius by people who understood and appreciated music, was never at the top rung in the hit parades or with the big banners or the big stars.He had very few Hit Films but His Music was always Hit. His first silver jubilee hit came 8 years later with "Woh Kaun Thi" in 1964. Many tunes composed by him remained unused... many songs remained unreleased... some recorded but unreleased songs have now been released on the album TERE BAGAIR... while others have just been lost! Some unused tunes were used in Veer-Zaara, while various others remain well preserved with his family. Madan Mohan composed music for 95 released Hindi films and 12 shelved films. These 100 plus films featured almost 700 songs, many of which are remembered to this day while some have been lost over the years. He was extremely versatile, but he is best remembered for his ghazals, pathos-laden songs and classical based songs Madan Mohan was born on 25th June 1924.He spent the early years of his life in the Middle East. After 1932, his family returned to their home town of Chakwal, then in Jhelum district of Punjab, British India. In 1946, he joined the All India Radio, Lucknow as Programme Assistant, where he came in contact with various artists such as Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Begum Akhtar, and Talat Mahmood. During these days he would also compose music for programmes to be broadcast on All India Radio. In 1947, he was transferred to All India Radio, Delhi where he worked for a short period. He started his film career as a singer, In 1948, he got his first opportunity to sing a film duet Pinjare Mein Bulbul Bole and Mera Chhotasa Dil Dole with Lata Mangeshkar under composer Ghulam Haider (composer) for the film Shaheed (1948 film), though these songs were never released or used in the film. Between 1948 and 1949, he assisted musiccomposersS.D. Burman for Do Bhai, and Shyam Sundar in Actress and Nirdosh. He got his first big break as composer with the film Aankhen in 1950.His association with Lata ji though started as a singer before he became composer but the long lasting collaboration with Lata Mangeshkar started with his 2nd film Adaa in 1951.Lata ji gave some of her best solo songs under his direction.In this Blog I have selected some the great songs of this duo.
A Tribute to MADAN MOHAN on his Death Anniversary(14th July)
Madan Mohan, was an Indian music director of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He is particularly remembered for the ghazals he composed for the film industry.
Madan Mohan was fascinated with the ghazal singing of Talat Mahmood, and the bond they shared ever since their early days in Lucknow, culminated in some memorable hits till "Jahanara". In fact, when Talat Mahmood was singing less and Rafi was the most sought after singer, the director of "Jahanara" insisted that Rafi sing all the male songs. Madanji was adamant that Talat would sing at least 3 songs in the film, while Rafi would sing the rest, as he had composed accordingly. He volunteered to give up the film on this issue. It was the producer, Om Prakash, who let Madanji have his way and thus 'Phir wohi shaam', 'Teri aankh ke aansoo' and 'Main teri nazar ka suroor hoon' became landmarks in Talat Mahmood's career.
Famous ghazal singer Begum Akhtar was a great admirer of Madan Mohan's tunes.After hearing the song "Qadar Jaane Na" from "Bhai Bhai" on Radio Ceylonshe immediately rang up Madan Mohan from Lucknow and urged him to sing this song for her and he did it repeatedly for eighteen minutes on telephone.
'Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim' was a tune Madan Mohan had composed in 1952. For want of an appropriate situation as well as being rejected by filmmakers, it remained unused. When Raj Khosla, a close friend of Madanji, needed a haunting melody for "Woh Kaun Thi", the composer remembered his forgotten melody, and Raj Khosla jumped at it. 'Naina barse' became a major hit.
Madan Mohan was very finicky about his musicians and was indeed feared by them for his quest for perfection. Top musicians of India have played for him in his songs, including Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pt. Ramnarain, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma and Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia. In fact Hariji made his debut in a film recording with the song Phir Wohi Shaam, from Jahanara. Well known composer Pyarelal played the violin often for him, including in the song KAISE KATEGI ZINDAGI TERE BAGAIR. Some of my favourite songs of Madan Mohan
